BENGALURU: Demanding that shops and commercial establishments display Kannada name boards prominently, activists of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) went on a rampage across Bengaluru on Wednesday, damaging and blackening non-Kannada boards.
Police had a tough time in bringing the situation under control in many areas of the city. Around 1,000 activists were taken into preventive custody. Traffic on the busy airport road was disrupted for some time.
The activists of KRV (TA Narayana Gowda faction) took out a rally and resorted to vandalism. They smashed display panels and painted the non-Kannada nameboards black.
Chaos prevailed on Lavelle Road, MG Road, Brigade Road, UB City and surrounding areas. Incidents of stone-throwing were also reported in many places. Shop owners downed shutters fearing damage to property.
The Kannada outfit, which had launched a campaign across the city and set a deadline to display Kannada boards by Wednesday, took out an awareness rally from Sadahalli Gate near Kempegowda International Airport to Cubbon Park. The activists, who got wind of the police plan to stop their rally midway, split into groups and went on the rampage.
Patrolling intensified in CBD, says top cop
Hundreds of shops were vandalised before the police could bring the situation under control. The activists targeted Phoenix Mall Of Asia on Airport Road at Byatarayanapura and tried to enter it. The mall management immediately suspended operations for the day.
High drama prevailed when women activists, who tried to enter the mall, were bundled into buses and taken away by police personnel. The activists alleged that the mall management was only asked to follow rules pertaining to name boards, but they filed a case against them.
KRV president TA Narayana Gowda said, “The Mall Of Asia and other mall owners may have taken police protection today. But if they don’t give priority to Kannada, our activists will barge into their premises and damage their property.”
The protesting activists also destroyed non-Kannada billboards and posters near Sadahalli Gate, where the police stopped their rally. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said, “We have registered five cases for vandalism. Around 1,000 activists were taken into preventive custody at Sadahalli Gate near Devanahalli, KR Puram and other areas of the city. We have given protection to malls and have intensified patrolling in the CBD."